Lenny Kravitz was honored for his impact in the music industry at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards.
The singer, 59, received the Music Icon Award during the Sunday, February 18, ceremony, which was held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. He also took the stage to perform a medley of hits from his catalog, including “Fly Away,” “TK421,” “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over,” “Let Love Rule” and “Are Your Gonna Go My Way.”
After the performance, Kravitz took the stage and gave thanks for the “incredible award.”
“When I was thinking about what to say tonight, I kept going back to that word, ‘icon,’” he said. “It means a lot of things to a lot of people. But to me, it means you’ve made an indelible mark by being who God created you to be and daring to be different.”
Kravitz noted when he was first “coming up,” he was offered “a lot of deals” but people wanted him “to change.”
“My music wasn’t black enough. It wasn’t white enough. It didn’t fit nicely inside a box or sound like it was on the radio at the time. And I turned down the money and the glitzy promises of fame and stardom because I couldn’t live with myself doing something inauthentic,” he said. “An icon to me, [is] someone who inspires and teaches others to believe in themselves and their direction, whatever that direction is.”
Kravitz said it’s “never been” about how many records he sells or awards he wins, but about “enjoying and being grateful” for the journey and using “the gifts God gave you.” He noted, “It will continue because I’m just doing me.”
He added that his mantra has been the same as it has been for 35 years: “Never follow the trends, set your own pace and recognize that the best is right here right now in front of you.”
Before concluding the speech, Kravitz gave his thanks to several people in his life, including his parents for “taking [him] to all those amazing concerts when [he] was a kid instead of leaving [him] home with a babysitter.” He also praised his fans, saying “the whole reason” he creates and performs music is to “amplify love.”
“There’s no barrier between performer and audience. It’s all about all of us embracing love and unity in this world that God has given us,” he said. “Love is the strongest power and love will win. We are all one. One God, one people, one planet.”
The honor was presented by Victoria Monét, who celebrated Kravitz, whom she called an “undeniable, once in a lifetime genius.”
“His music has made you feel it all. Love, hope, reflection, joy, heartache, rage, that sometimes makes you want to fly away. But take it from him, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” she quipped.
NBC, Peacock and E! announced in January that Kravitz would be celebrated during the telecast. “With 11 studio albums across a decades-long career, Lenny Kravitz has cemented himself as a global rock superstar,” Jen Neal, an executive vice president at NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a statement at the time. “Whether he’s writing and performing his own hit songs or working behind the scenes writing for other industry greats, Lenny’s musical gift is truly unmatched. We’re thrilled to honor him as this year’s Music Icon and look forward to seeing what he brings to the stage.”
Prior to Kravitz, only two artists have won the Music Icon Award. Christina Aguilera was the inaugural recipient in 2021, followed by Shania Twain in 2022.
Outside of the awards show, Kravitz is gearing up for the debut of his upcoming album, Blue Electric Light, in May, marking his first record release in more than five years. In his 2023 Esquire cover story, he revealed that he simultaneously worked on three albums during the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. After restrictions loosened, he workshopped his new music in the studio, mixing the songs “a thousand times” as he “kept polishing.”
While the other two records are mostly completed and he believes fans will hear them someday, Kravitz knew Blue Electric Light was the album that needed to be dropped first. “This one spoke to me,” he explained. “This one has to come out.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Kravitz addressed the lack of respect he received from critics throughout his career. “It was discouraging at times,” he confessed, before insisting that the negativity did not ruin his perspective. “I’m good. Intact — happy, healthy, focused, with still so much to do.”
Although Kravitz has earned four Grammys and was nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this month, he emphasized that there are more meaningful things in his life than awards. “I’m not here for the accolades,” he said. “I’m here for the experience.”
